“Diane Williams uses found, discarded, salvaged materials in her sculptural assemblage works. While this yields tactile, assertively handmade, eccentric and enlivened objects, this approach’s more profound dimension is as both a conceptual and narrative strategy. That’s because her selection of those materials themselves are specifically chosen to describe and evoke the stories she is telling about forgotten histories — both personal to her and across a postcolonial diasporic globe. From the immigrant experience in new nations to buried invasions and trespasses against populations in their own lands, Williams is interested in weaving together — quite literally — the evidence. ”

“Throughout her oeuvre, Williams creates scattered “clues” to address the diasporic realities she engages. In this era dominated by the political demonization of women, immigrants and racial “minorities,” it is crucially important to consider the thoughtful responses to such issues articulated by savvy cultural workers like Diane Williams. ”

“Making full use of the gallery space, Williams divided it into each emotionally connected but significantly separate aspects of the exhibition. To journey through the space and Williams’ work is to journey into the heart of America itself, the immigration experience and the experience of a true artist. Here Williams paints, weaves, and defines the connections, both tenuous and grand, that make America far more American. We are not red, white and blue – we are a far more diverse and interesting color scheme.”

“Each piece is a chaotic amalgamation of colors and textures, with a single word boldly woven in the center: “Immigrant,” “Fear,” “We,” or “Migrant.” Inspired by recent rallies and demonstrations, the pieces function as conceptual protest signs. Yet unlike the signs you’ll find in the streets, Williams’s pieces don’t explicitly declare an opinion or statement. Instead, she urges viewers to examine their own emotional responses to the singular woven words. “I don’t want to hit people on the head. I want to make people think about the work on their own,” says Williams, who came to the U.S. from the Philippines when she was 14.”